Process Data Scientist - Cement Manufacturing

About the role

Holcim, headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, is looking for a Process Data Scientist to help solve operational and energy challenges in cement manufacturing. You will design and deploy AI applications that improve kiln and thermal efficiency, stabilize processes, reduce fuel consumption, enable alternative fuel substitution and lower CO2 emissions. The role covers algorithm design, machine learning development and deployment, including the flagship solution P-PREDICT, and its integration with legacy and new Plant of Tomorrow technologies.

Key responsibilities

• Design, tune and validate hybrid machine learning models combining first-principles process physics with adaptive AI loops for calciner and kiln optimization
• Develop predictive soft sensors for real-time variables such as alternative fuel calorific value and clinker quality, and multi-variable target recommenders for control loops
• Use deep learning, time-series forecasting and probabilistic models to predict operational hazards such as ring formation, cyclone blockages and pressure spikes
• Own the end-to-end model lifecycle, from feature engineering and design to cloud/edge deployment, continuous tuning and automated retraining, and work with vendors on deployment and on proprietary solutions
• Design operational logic, reason codes and metrics for operator dashboards and collaborate with process engineers and plant operators on model boundaries
• Drive global adoption of P-PREDICT and other initiatives through plant onboarding, commissioning support and feedback loops, and coach plant process engineers

Required profile

• MS or PhD in Computer Science, Chemical Engineering, Data Science, Electrical Engineering, Systems & Control or equivalent
• 3+ years in applied machine learning and data science for heavy industry process optimization (cement, chemical, energy or mineral processing preferred)
• 2+ years productizing and scaling ML models in production environments (cloud and edge)
• 2+ years in industrial change management, coaching and technical knowledge transfer (advantageous)
• C3.ai certifications or equivalent enterprise AI framework certification (advantageous)

Required skills

• Python (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn, Pandas, NumPy) and R/SQL; data pipelines
• Data platforms such as BigQuery, cloud data warehouses, data lakes and lakehouses on GCP or AWS
• Time-series databases and industrial platforms such as InfluxDB and Seeq
• ETL/ELT pipelines, feature engineering, data quality, batch and streaming architectures
• Data visualization (Jupyter, Grafana, Looker Studio, Seaborn) and explainable AI
• Cloud ML deployment, MLOps, CI/CD and containerization (a plus)

What we offer

• Hybrid work contract
• Subsidized child care and paid maternity/paternity leave
• Company-sponsored training and professional development
• Subsidized meals, exclusive discounts and company gifts
• Long-service awards and employee referral bonus
• Pension fund and employee savings scheme